By the time Lacey and Alex arrived, Nik was completely in the know. They all sat around waiting for word on Keeley. But Lacey couldn’t shake her intuition. That demon she knew her sister was courting wouldn’t give up easily. She couldn’t help but wonder if Keeley was strong enough for this. So much had already happened to her and Lacey knew she fought hard to stay alive. With Tar gone, would Keeley finally give into the cravings to take her own life? Would she be able to save her sister this time? Lacey just didn’t know. What she did know was that she would die trying. Keeley deserved her all. She only hoped E would understand, that their marriage was strong enough to weather this storm.
Only time would tell.
Chapter Two
E was pretty sure Tar would go back to the penthouse to gather his shit before taking off. Following his gut, he beelined for his own home. Keeley was one troubled soul caught in unbearable darkness, but Tar knew that going in. E could understand how watching that orgasm she was forced to have with Braxton would fuck with the man. Still, it was just that…forced. The poor girl couldn’t control her body’s response any more so than one controlled blinking their eyes. It was a body, for fuck’s sake, that responded to stimulation, and, in her case, pain was what did it for her.
Heaven forbid she actually worked.
Considering all Keeley had been through, the fact she functioned was a damn miracle. Was the pain aspect what freaked Tar out? Again, no surprises there. And as much as E wanted that need to go away for her, he knew better. She’d always want things just a little differently than others, yet there were ways to taper it back to reasonable. Plus, when one really thought about it, we were all unique in our desires, fantasies, wants and needs. Part of loving someone was accepting all of them and understanding—we were all broken to some extent.
All those thoughts and emotions crashing inside E did not bode well for Tar when he found him. E recognized he was dangerously close to losing all sense of control. He threw open his front door with enough force the knob went through the plaster. In his rage, E didn’t register the damage done as he stormed toward the guestroom Tar and Keeley had been sharing. With a quick survey, he realized the man in question wasn’t there.
Fucker better not have taken off completely.
E found himself in his home gym studying the man he wanted to tear apart, to hurt him as much as he’d just hurt his little sister. But what he found stopped him in his tracks.
Tar was on his knees, head bowed, chest heaving. E quickly acknowledged it wasn’t the posture of one who pushed their body too hard in a fierce workout, but a man shattered. Driven to his knees in the pain that consumed him. He approached the suffering man with caution.
“Tar.” His head shot up, and what E saw in the depths of his eyes almost brought him to his own knees. My God, the turmoil. The outright agony. Fuck, he was as damaged as Keeley. E had to wonder how the hell this couple would ever get past this. They couldn’t on their own, support was needed. Family.
Tar’s voice was nothing but a mere rasp, “She betrayed me.”
E nodded. “Nothing that can’t be forgiven.”
“The fuck,” he barked as fresh tears streaked down his cheeks.
E realized Tar was caught between extreme anger and excruciating heartbreak. He blew out a heavy breath. “This isn’t an easy path. You’re going to make mistakes just like she is. Understanding that is over half the battle, man.”
“She’s better off without me,” the confession ripped out of him.
E knelt down before him and grasped his shoulders. “That’s a fucking lie and you know it.”
“Do I?”
“Listen the fuck up! You love her. That much is obvious or you wouldn’t be here like this. So go tell her just that.”
“I lied, E. I told her I didn’t love her anymore,” he howled and buried his face in his hands.
“Heat of the moment. You were hurt and lashed out. She can understand that.”
He only shook his head.
“Look, what matters now is that she knows you’re there for her.”
“No! What’s best for her, and me, is if I leave and never bother her again.”
“Bullshit!” E roared. “That’s the pussy’s way out.”
Tar scrubbed his face before locking his determined gaze on E’s. “That’s the kindest thing I can do for her. Because honestly, I want to rip things to shreds right now!”
E stood and challenged, “Bring it.”
Tar did not back down and lunged forward, taking E down as they grappled. E was a damn good fighter, but Tar’s training as a SEAL took over.